This invention relates to devices for interconnecting circuit devices such as IC packages to circuit boards, circuit boards and modules to circuit boards or substrates, and substrates to substrates. Specifically, the invention relates to low impedance surface-mount connectors having advantageous qualities of compactness, low interconnection resistance, low inductance and mechanical compliance. The connectors can be surface mounted by pick-and-place techniques.
As electronic circuits become denser, faster and increasingly complex, devices for interconnecting them are subject to more demanding requirements. With the great increase in the density of active components, interconnection devices become large consumers of available volume. And increased density brings an increase in required currents and power dissipation, aggravating thermal mismatch between connected circuit devices. In addition, higher circuit device speeds place stricter constraints on tolerable interconnect inductance. Accordingly, there is a need for improved devices for interconnecting circuits.
In accordance with the invention, a low impedance surface-mount connector comprises a length of cylindrical rod having an I-shaped cross section. The device permits interconnection by pick-and-place techniques, and the interconnection has advantageous qualities of low resistance, low inductance, mechanical compliance and ease of manufacture. A first circuit device having one or more circuit components is interconnected with a second circuit device by surface mounting such connectors on the first circuit device, providing corresponding solder pads on the second circuit device, and mounting the connectors of the first circuit device onto the pads of the second.